Office of the Historian

394.1123 Massie, T. H. Mrs./17: Telegram

The Consul at Tsingtao (Sokobin) to the Secretary of State

Tsingtao, July 9, 1938—9 a.m.
[Received 4:45 p.m.]

Department’s July 6, noon.10 The Consulate has received from the Commander-in-Chief, Asiatic Fleet, a memorandum prepared by [Page 397] the fleet intelligence officer11 in regard to discussion which took place between Japanese Chief of Staff and our Chief of Staff. The memorandum sets forth that the Japanese naval officer expressed,

(1)
The regrets of the Japanese Navy;
(2)
That the action of the sentry could not be justified;
(3)
That “there were, however, extenuating circumstances and the fault was not entirely with the sentry” who assumed that Mrs. Massie was not [sic] one of the women he was trying to keep off the pier and that he also assumed that she had succeeded in getting by him and [becoming] “angry at the woman struck her”;
(4)
That the sentry was wrong in making an unwarranted assumption;
(5)
That the Japanese Navy was anxious to prevent incidents of this nature and had given strict instruction;
(6)
That the Japanese Navy was willing to cooperate in every way in order to prevent incidents of this nature;
(7)
That the Japanese Navy desired to settle such incidents locally without reference to the home governments;
(8)
That the Japanese Navy regretted that our naval personnel appeared to believe a Japanese naval sentry had deliberately struck and insulted wife of a United States naval officer.

The memorandum further sets forth that the Chief of Staff, United States Asiatic Fleet, in reply stated:

  • “(1) The United States Navy regretted the incident and was very anxious to prevent incidents of this kind.
  • (2) The United States Navy would cooperate to the fullest extent to prevent incidents.
  • (3) The present case was being handled by the United States State Department and the United States Navy had neither made nor received any communications with Japanese authorities in regard to the incident.”

The memorandum was transmitted with a letter addressed to me in which Admiral Yarnell stated inter alia:

“In view of the facts as set forth in the memorandum it is not exactly accurate to say that understanding has been reached between the American and Japanese naval authorities with regard to the final settlement of the case. However, the Japanese Chief of Staff has expressed regrets, instructed that the Japanese naval authorities will cooperate to prevent similar incidents in the future and has stated that Japanese naval sentries have been given strictest instructions in regard to United States naval personnel and dependents. I am, therefore, of the opinion that nothing is to be gained by continuing the controversy and that the incident should be considered closed. The Japanese naval authorities have shown a conciliatory attitude in this matter, and I believe really desire to prevent incidents of this kind.”

Sent to Hankow, Peiping. By mail to Tokyo.

Sokobin
  1. Not printed.↩
  2. Lt. Comdr. H. H. Smith-Hutton, U. S. N.↩